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Fence panel maintenance on the Kent coast

Maintenance schedule for closeboard and panel fencing in Ramsgate. Preservative retreatment intervals, salt-air corrosion checks on hardware, and the small jobs that keep a 15-year fence a 15-year fence rather than a 7-year one.

Fencing on the Kent coast has a shorter life than fencing in inland Kent unless you look after it. Not by much - if you started with the right build (concrete posts, hot-dip galv hardware, treated timber) you're already 90% of the way there - but the salt and the wind add up, and a small maintenance pass every two years extends the life of the fence by about a third. This is what that maintenance actually looks like.

Every autumn - the walk-round

Walk the length of your fence in October or November before the winter storms. You're looking for four things. Any panel that's loose in its post slot (concrete-slotted posts hold panels by gravity - if a panel is proud of the slot it will lift in the next big blow). Any post that's leaning more than about 5 degrees off vertical. Any gravel board that's cracked or missing. Any hinge or latch on a gate that's stiff, rusty, or has visible play. Ten minutes with a coffee. Fix or note anything you find.

Every two years - preservative retreatment

Treated softwood fencing (closeboard, panel, picket) needs a preservative retreatment every two years on the Kent coast. Every three years on inland Kent, every two here because of the salt. Any brushable exterior wood preservative - Cuprinol Ducksback and Ronseal One Coat Fence Life are the popular DIY options; there are trade-grade equivalents too. You brush or spray it on. Do it in dry weather with two dry days forecast after; the preservative needs to soak in and cure. One coat is enough on a maintained fence; two on a fence that's been neglected for six-plus years.

Salt-air corrosion on hardware

This is the one that catches people out. If your gate was hung with zinc-plated hinges (the shiny silver ones from a builders' merchant), they'll start rusting inside 18 months in Ramsgate. Once the rust gets into the pin, the gate starts binding, and once it binds it takes the frame with it. If you spot orange rust bleeding down a hinge, it needs replacing. The correct replacement is hot-dip galvanised (matt grey, dull finish, but they last 15+ years) or stainless A2 (silver, marine-grade, effectively lifetime). We keep both in stock and can swap a set of gate hinges in 30 minutes.

Gravel boards

Concrete gravel boards don't rot but they can crack if the fence moves. Timber gravel boards rot at the ground contact within 6 to 8 years. If your fence has a timber gravel board and it's soft when you press it, replace it before it fails - the gravel board keeps the actual fence boards away from wet ground, so once it's gone the boards start rotting from the bottom up.

The one thing not to do

Don't pressure-wash a treated fence. It looks satisfying on YouTube and it strips the preservative straight out of the timber. Same for scrubbing with a wire brush. If a fence needs cleaning, a soft-bristle brush and dilute soap solution is all that's needed. Rinse with fresh water (a garden hose, not a jet washer). Let it dry. Preservative retreat if it's due.